I’m back, and honestly pretty excited to write about well..everything. Somewhat ironically, immediately preceding my post Learning to be Positive (about my various epiphanies concerning the power of positive thinking) I took a journey to Costa Rica. Semi-unbeknownst to me, this is pretty much their anthem. Positive thinking, that is. Well not only positive thinking, but finding true happiness and experiencing joy directly from the world around you.

So first thought, yeah, I’d be completely content and happy if I woke up every morning to the warm sunshine, and the sound of gently lapping waves, a family of howler monkeys jovially bouncing through the waving palms. Fair point.

It is more than this, however. In our ever more capitalist-inclined society it is almost hard to determine what true ‘contentment’ feels like. We work to consume, and motivate ourself to continue working with the reward of what we will later consume. We lose track of the process. Yes, we also work in order to do things like feed ourselves, but we are motivated to work harder not with the prospect of eating more, but to buy a TV that is just a few inches larger than Ted’s next door. (I think we have a phrase for this..hmm). What I experienced was different. There was basic necessity, but there was pure joy in the process.

There is too much reflection. Instead of thinking constantly about what will happen later, or what can I achieve by finishing this task, I want to be within the process. Enjoy the process for what it is, not what will come to be after.

Surf

New religion

I frequently find myself taking an ‘outside-in’ approach. Imagining my life as if from an outsiders perspective; What do I imagine I’m looking at right now? How do my actions appear externally? What is the effect of behaving in a particular way?

Instead of; This is what I’m looking at; This is how I feel. These are the things I am doing.

Focusing on what is around you and how you are affecting it in the moment is truly a rewarding thing. Taking joy in the process is one part in the journey to finding the joy in simplicity, and it is one I intend to embark on.